The Cynical Cinephiles

Director: Shannon Murphy Starring: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Emily Barclay, Eugene Gilfedder, Essie Davis, Ben Mendelsohn Seriously ill teenager Milla (Scanlen) falls in love with Moses, a wayward young man and small-time drug dealer, much to her parents chagrin. However, Milla's relationship with Moses reinvigorates and gives her a newfound zest for life. Five Feet Apart, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Fault in Our Stars . Over the past few years, the terminally-ill teenage romance genre has had a host of entries. Whilst each film is not without its merits, they do adhere to a strict formula. Shannon Murphy's debut  Babyteeth  bucks this pattern of predictability in a bold and relentlessly artistic fashion, favouring nuanced exploration over forced and manipulative emotion - although there are plenty of tears to be shed. Milla and Moses meet on a train station platform after he accidentally shoves into her and goes on to stem her nosebleed with his t-shirt, lowering M...

Director: Celine Sciamma Cast: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel Celine Sciamma has proven herself as a formidable voice in arthouse cinema with the likes of Water Lilies and Tomboy, both films focusing on characters in the LGBTQ community. The writer-director continues to explore this marginalised group with her fourth feature, this time venturing to 1770 and submersing us in a luscious period setting. In late 18th century France, painter Marianna (Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of resistant bride to be Heloise (Haenel). Over the course of their time together, the two engage in a forbidden affair that grows into a passionate love. Sciamma delicately handles and frames the emotions of the piece's central characters, understanding that sentiments were expressed through charged glances and inferred gestures rather than through verbal means. Heloise views her impending marriage as an imminent threat to her freedom and, potentially life, as it is reveal...

Director: Bong Joon-ho Cast: Song Kong-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin After being awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes and its historical Best Picture win (among others) at the Academy Awards, Parasite has rightfully been dominating headlines. But Jong-ho's shockingly astounding masterpiece deserves to be entered and experienced as blindly as possible so audiences can discover the auteur's brilliance, twists and all, for themselves. The Kims, a poor family who struggle to make ends meet, manipulate and con their way into working for the very affluent Parks. However, their masterful deception is threatened with exposure and the Kims do everything in their power to prevent their rosy new privileges being snatched away from them. Joon-ho has explored and touched upon many prevalent subject matters in his previous, impressive body of work. Whether it be environmentalism in Okja or class in Snowpierc...

Emma Director: Autumn de Wilde Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Bill Nighy Synopsis: In 1800s England, Emma Woodhouse, a well-intentioned but self-centred, takes it upon herself to meddle in the love lives of her friends.   The film and novel's titular character exhibits many traits that would pose a challenge for any actress to play; she's clever but naive, helpful but selfish and spoilt yet adored. These dichotomies create for a very spiky role that isn't always entirely likeable but lead Anya Taylor-Joy ( The Witch, Split ) imbues all of these qualities in a winning performance. After introducing her former governess Miss Taylor to Mr Weston that led to their marrying, Emma concludes that she has a proven talent for matchmaking and decides to remedy her friends' lonely hearts. Emma befriends Harriet Smith (a fantastic Mia Goth, giving the character a timid delicacy) and makes her her pet project. She ...

Bombshell Director: Jay Roach Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Alison Janney Synopsis: Based on the true story, a group of women working at Fox News take on the company's CEO, Roger Ailes, in an effort to overthrow the toxic atmosphere and culture of sexual harassment.    Bombshell boasts stellar performances from its star-studded trio. Theron completely disappears into the role of Megyn Kelly, her voice and appearance completely unrecognisable with the help of expert prosthetics. To its credit, the film doesn't completely shy away from the less appealing aspects of Kelly's character (namely her severely questionable racial views) but neither does it dig deep enough into what makes her a figure of controversy in order to ensure that we sympathise with her and the right-wing employees at Fox. Robbie's fictional composite character, Kayla Pospisil, represents all of young, ambitious women working at the network who fall prey to Ail...

The Gentlemen Director: Guy Ritchie Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell Synopsis: American kingpin Mickey Pearson (McConaughey) is looking to sell his lucrative marijuana business. The sale draws the attention of many eager buyers who all seek to undermine Pearson, setting off a chain of blackmail and scheming.  After forays into the blockbuster realm with the critically divisive  King Arthur and Aladdin , Guy Ritchie returns to his roots with The Gentlemen , a romp of a film with strong echoes of Snatch . However, Ritchie's attempt to emulate the success of the aforementioned fails to take into account the changing times where casual racism is significantly less accepted and tolerated. The slurs and stereotypes thrown at characters such as Henry Golding's Chinese mobster "Dry Eye" and the overview of which drug lords are given the moral high-ground seems firmly cemented in their race, making the whole film app...

Honey Boy Director: Alma Ha'rel Cast: Noah Jupe, Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges Synopsis: Troubled actor Otis is sent to rehab after drunk and violent behaviour where he is forced to confront his turbulent childhood and the rocky relationship that he shared with his father.  Written by LaBeouf and inspired by the star's own experiences as a child actor, Honey Boy is an incredibly personal and intimate portrayal of a complicated father-son relationship. The film begins with 22 year-old Otis (Hedges), LaBeouf's fictional representative, crashing his car and assaulting a police officer after a night of heavy drinking. He is ordered to a rehab facility and his exposure therapy sessions encourage reflection on his past to seek the root cause of his alcohol addiction and destructive behaviour. These sessions prompt flashbacks to a decade earlier where Otis relives his youth as a 12 year-old child star. He lives in a motel complex with his emotionally turbulent and alcoholic fath...

Director: Cathy Yan Cast: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ewan McGregor After a definitive break-up with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie) soon discovers that without the protection of the Clown Prince of Crime, many criminals in Gotham want her dead, namely the fearsome Black Mask (McGregor). As she strives for survival, Harley gains some unexpected allies in the form of three deadly women - Huntress (Winstead), Black Canary (Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Perez). Having emerged as the standout character in 2016's critically panned Suicide Squad , Margot Robbie returns to the role of Harley Quinn. Harley's first appearance in the DC universe was largely defined by her turbulent relationship with Jared Leto's Joker, but Birds of Prey and Robbie (who served as a co-producer on the film and has been championing its existence for years) is intent on giving the character her own identity. Having ...

Director: Mike Flanagan Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis Over 30 years since the events that took place at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance (McGregor) has turned to alcoholism to repress his trauma. However, when the True Knot led by Rose the Hat (Ferguson) start feeding off the "shine" of innocents, Dan is approached by Abra (Curran), a teenager afflicted with the shine, to put a stop to the cult. Director Mike Flanagan, best known for his work on horror films such as Hush and the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House , faces a near-impossible challenge; adapting the work of Stephen King whilst also crafting a sequel to Kubrick's masterpiece that is considered one of, if not the most, revered horrors of all time. Flanagan rises to the occasion and handles the material with a sensitive maturity, never forgetting to indulge in the horrific fun of it all or deny the audience a fresh and compelling story. Expanding the story be...

Director: Sam Mendes Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Richard Madden During World War I, Lance Corporals William Schofield (MacKay) and Tom Blake (Chapman) are tasked with delivering a message calling off an attack that will lead to the deaths of thousands of British soldiers. Although not evident from the film's first trailer, 1917 has since made its one single tracking shot appearance the centre of its marketing and has been the primary point of discussion surrounding the film. Director Sam Mendes envisioned this technique for the film during the earliest stages of development and incorporated the idea into the script. To bring his extraordinary spectacle to the big screen, Mendes underwent a lengthy pre-production process and recruited legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose years of experience in the industry have seemingly led up to this. There isn't a moment in the duo's journey whe...

Director: Lulu Wang Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong, Jiang Yongbo Upon learning that her beloved Nai Nai ("paternal grandmother" in Mandarin) only has a short while left to live, Chinese-American writer Billi (Awkwafina) travels to China to say goodbye. However, Billi's family have all agreed not to reveal the terminal diagnosis to Nai Nai (Shuzhen) and they instruct Billi to go along with their plan. The synopsis is at first glance an unbelievable set up but it is in fact inspired by a true story that Wang had previously made the subject of in an episode of  This American Life . With such an outlandish premise, the film could have risked leaning too heavily in one tonal strand i.e. making it a jovial farce or a bleak drama. However, with Wang's sensitive script and powerful direction, The Farewell always strikes the balance between comedy and melancholy. Known predominantly for her rapping career and comedic work in films such as Oc...

Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham In the 1950s, truck driver Frank Sheeran (De Niro) meets notorious mobster Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and becomes involved in his crime family. As he ascends the ranks and raises his profile to become a top hitman, Frank also goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), the powerful Teamster. Adapted from Charles Brandt's book I Heard You Paint Houses by screenwriter Steve Zaillian, everything about The Irishman suggests that this is the project that Martin Scorsese has been building up to for his entire career; a mobster film featuring acting royalty, a mammoth budget and an astonishing three and a half hour run time. This lengthy figure may scream excessive, but every scene, every moment, feels crucial and worthy of its inclusion in the story. Whether it be Frank and Russell and their respective wives bickering over the no-smoking in the car rule whilst en...

Director: Taika Waititi Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Roman Griffin Davis, Taika Waititi, Thomasin McKenzie, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephan Merchant, Alfie Allen Jojo (Davis), a young boy living in Nazi Germany, is committed to joining the Hitler youth and confides all of his ambitions, woes and insecurities in his imaginary best friend - Hitler himself (Waititi). When he discovers that his single mother Rosie (Johansson) has been hiding a Jewish girl in the attic, Jojo is forced to confront his blind nationalism. Perhaps his bravest, and definitely his most audacious, effort to date, writer-director Taika Waititi tackles the most unsympathetic and unhumourous group of people in history - the Nazis. A comedy about their actions seems unfathomable, but the framing of their crimes and mentality is done so in such plain terms that the sheer ridiculousness of it all prevails and successfully satirises the atrocity. Every Nazi defends the cause or espouses their beliefs with such ...

Director: Elizabeth Banks Cast: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart, Sam Claflin, Noah Centino Scientist and engineer Elena (Scott) has invented a revolutionary sustainable energy source called Calisto. However, when she discovers that Calisto has fallen into the wrong hands and will be transformed into a weapon of mass destruction, Elena turns to the Angels - Sabina (Stewart) and Jane (Balinska) - to retrieve the device and save the world. "I think women can do anything," purrs Stewart's Sabina at the very beginning of the film as she lures her target into a false sense of security. She, along with a cohort of Angels, then proceed to disarm and successfully combat the target and his henchmen with remarkable skill and power which is followed by the opening credits consisting of stock footage of young girls and women around the world. It's an unsubtle introduction and this high-spirited theme of empowerment is continued ...